offer you the one-bedroom cabin at the back of the property to live in. I need someone to live here to help keep an eye on things. We won’t take advantage of you being there, but it would add to your”—she made quote signs in the air—“‘benefit package.’” She looked into his eyes to see if he caught her joke, but he just seemed to be listening. With serious intent.
“Anyway, as you can tell, we have extensive property. One hundred and fifty acres total, with plenty of trail space to run the dogs. The kennel”—she pointed out the window—“the fenced-in area over there, takes up a good acre. We have seventy-five dogs at the present time, but that will be decreasing soon since two of the new litters are already sold.”
“Excuse me.” He cleared his throat. “Did you say seventy-five dogs?”
“Yes.” She watched the proverbial wheels turn.
“Wow.”
“Cleanup and feeding alone is a huge task.”
“An enormous undertaking, yes.” The first hint of uncertainty touched his features. “Would I handle cleanup and feeding?”
He was quick too. Seemingly unafraid of hard work. Not bad. Now to see if pretty boy passed the background check. “You would help me. You’d also watch over the kennel and dogs if I need to leave, help us train and run them, and assist at races. It would also be your responsibility to oversee the property and keep the trails in shape. A lot of it is trees and along the river, but we still keep the trails clear and watch out for anything that could potentially hurt us or the dogs.”
“Do you have other help?”
“I do. My daughter, Zoya, and I run the kennel together, and I normally have two or three part-timers who help out. Right now we have Joe, Beth, and Derek. Beth will be returning to the lower forty-eight soon, her grandmother is ill. That’s why I decided to bring on someone full-time again.”
“So you’ve had a full-time employee before?”
“Yes.” Anesia stood up and walked over to the window. She hadn’t anticipated this. She should have thought it through.
“Would you mind if I spoke to him or her to get a feel for the job? I’d like to be as prepared as possible.”
She turned to face him. No way around it now. “I’m sorry. But that’s impossible. Peter was killed last year.”
----
ZOYA
11:03 a.m.
My Bible sat open on my lap.
Nothing seemed to make any sense. No heavenly words of wisdom popped out on the page. No trumpet sounded.
No magnificent instruction came.
Nothing .
I swallowed and focused on the words in front of me.
“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done.”
Wonders? Like a murder was wonderful.
“ You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.”
Lovingkindness? Preserve me?
A little voice in the back of my mind started talking . . .
“He hasn’t done anything for you. He’s abandoned you. He didn’t protect you from those murderers. He didn’t help that man.”
My eyes shut. No . . . I would not let those thoughts take over. And yet, everything in me said to let the anger burn. To let God have a piece of my mind.
But why? The Bible said He was watching over me . . .
Why couldn’t I believe that?
I frowned down at the thick book. And I thought you were supposed to be full of the truth . . .
I slammed it shut. Then walked over to the window.
Lovingkindness?
If You loved me, then why did You let this happen? If You’re a kind God, then why was that man murdered?
I tried to hold back the tears. Blinked.
What was I thinking? He was there.
Wasn’t He?
My squeezed eyelids did little to stop the flow of tears from escaping. One by one they fell.
Like bodies on a battlefield.
I may have failed Him, but He had abandoned me. He was the one that left, took off without warning. Left me behind to fend for myself. Couldn’t He see that I’d needed Him most right then and there? Did He know what kind of suffering
“Anyway, as you can tell, we have extensive property. One hundred and fifty acres total, with plenty of trail space to run the dogs. The kennel”—she pointed out the window—“the fenced-in area over there, takes up a good acre. We have seventy-five dogs at the present time, but that will be decreasing soon since two of the new litters are already sold.”
“Excuse me.” He cleared his throat. “Did you say seventy-five dogs?”
“Yes.” She watched the proverbial wheels turn.
“Wow.”
“Cleanup and feeding alone is a huge task.”
“An enormous undertaking, yes.” The first hint of uncertainty touched his features. “Would I handle cleanup and feeding?”
He was quick too. Seemingly unafraid of hard work. Not bad. Now to see if pretty boy passed the background check. “You would help me. You’d also watch over the kennel and dogs if I need to leave, help us train and run them, and assist at races. It would also be your responsibility to oversee the property and keep the trails in shape. A lot of it is trees and along the river, but we still keep the trails clear and watch out for anything that could potentially hurt us or the dogs.”
“Do you have other help?”
“I do. My daughter, Zoya, and I run the kennel together, and I normally have two or three part-timers who help out. Right now we have Joe, Beth, and Derek. Beth will be returning to the lower forty-eight soon, her grandmother is ill. That’s why I decided to bring on someone full-time again.”
“So you’ve had a full-time employee before?”
“Yes.” Anesia stood up and walked over to the window. She hadn’t anticipated this. She should have thought it through.
“Would you mind if I spoke to him or her to get a feel for the job? I’d like to be as prepared as possible.”
She turned to face him. No way around it now. “I’m sorry. But that’s impossible. Peter was killed last year.”
----
ZOYA
11:03 a.m.
My Bible sat open on my lap.
Nothing seemed to make any sense. No heavenly words of wisdom popped out on the page. No trumpet sounded.
No magnificent instruction came.
Nothing .
I swallowed and focused on the words in front of me.
“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done.”
Wonders? Like a murder was wonderful.
“ You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.”
Lovingkindness? Preserve me?
A little voice in the back of my mind started talking . . .
“He hasn’t done anything for you. He’s abandoned you. He didn’t protect you from those murderers. He didn’t help that man.”
My eyes shut. No . . . I would not let those thoughts take over. And yet, everything in me said to let the anger burn. To let God have a piece of my mind.
But why? The Bible said He was watching over me . . .
Why couldn’t I believe that?
I frowned down at the thick book. And I thought you were supposed to be full of the truth . . .
I slammed it shut. Then walked over to the window.
Lovingkindness?
If You loved me, then why did You let this happen? If You’re a kind God, then why was that man murdered?
I tried to hold back the tears. Blinked.
What was I thinking? He was there.
Wasn’t He?
My squeezed eyelids did little to stop the flow of tears from escaping. One by one they fell.
Like bodies on a battlefield.
I may have failed Him, but He had abandoned me. He was the one that left, took off without warning. Left me behind to fend for myself. Couldn’t He see that I’d needed Him most right then and there? Did He know what kind of suffering
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